The Spanish Farm on a Mission to Make Humane Foie Gras

On a whirlwind tour across the globe to document sustainable food, the team from Perennial Platestops in Spain to meet one family dedicated to reversing the stigma surrounding a certain European delicacy. Creators Daniel Klein and Mirra Fine speak with the people behind Pateria de Sousa, a picturesque farm in the business of producing ethical, sustainable foie gras.

One of the most controversial foods around today, foie gras has been condemned in animal rights campaigns for the industry’s gruesome practice of force-feeding ducks and geese. At Pateria de Sousa, animals roam free and the farmers "recreate the natural instincts," they say, so that "the animal generates the necessary fat." When they "sacrifice" geese, they use a method of hypnosis that they believe is more humane.

While industrial producers from France and elsewhere have journeyed to the farm to see its methods for themselves, some question the family’s limited production rate. The father responds, “Everything is not about making money. Our system isn’t just a business. It’s a way of life.”